Paradise Irrigation District
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U.T.B. Studios
A Case Study
The Project
For Paradise Irrigation District (PID), the recovery of its water system after the 2018 Camp Fire has been a major accomplishment. Their efforts have laid way to new and safer procedures for all water systems in the United States and beyond, particularly where communities have suffered from their own tragedies. The PID staff felt that work should be done to chronicle and memorialize these efforts for posterity and future marketing and public relations needs.
With this goal in mind, U.T.B. Studios proposed a comprehensive plan of action with a wide array of deliverables, recommending a solution that included video and photo assets that could be utilized across all distribution methods and platforms — online, print, film festivals, and traditional television broadcast — to ensure that PID's powerful story reached as many viewers as possible, and will resonate long into the future.
These deliverables included:
- 1 Documentary Short Film, tailored for television broadcast specifications
- 1 Long-Form Video (5-10 min)
- 6 Short-Form Videos (2-3 min)
- 10 Social Media Videos (60-90 sec)
- 100+ Individually Edited Photos
- Custom thumbnail images for videos posted on YouTube
The U.T.B. Studios team sat with PID leadership to learn about the organization and develop an understanding of what type of story would be most beneficial to PID's marketing efforts while, vitally, remaining true and authentic to the subject matter. This isn't marketing that feels like marketing — these are honest stories of true events, and they are portrayed with quality and care, showing the people and mission of PID in a warm, authentic manner.
Viewers are empowered to draw their own conclusions, and those conclusions have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film inspiring support and pride from PID's customers.
U.T.B. Studios created all of these final video and photo assets in tandem, reflecting a cohesive, high-quality, unified message. They work together to tell a story that is visually and thematically consistent; whether a viewer sees "Water After Wildfire" on television or one of the supporting videos on their Facebook feed, they can immediately recognize the PID brand and corresponding quality.
The Documentary
The primary asset created was the 27-minute-long documentary short: "Water After Wildfire." U.T.B. Studios worked with PID to capture all the necessary footage and interview key players, and the film aired multiple times on KHSL Channel 12, the local CBS affiliate. It has also been submitted to several film festivals, and has been shown by PID at various industry conferences.
The Supporting Videos
U.T.B. Studios created a series of additional videos that can all work in concert to both draw viewers to "Water After Wildfire" and also expand upon PID's story. These videos range in runtime, and can be utilized across social media and other online platforms. One particular highlight: The Story of Romac, the Rescue Cat, which has garnered over 140,000 views on YouTube alone, endearing PID to viewers around the world.
The Photography
In addition to the video deliverables, U.T.B. Studios also provided PID with a series of photo assets, which serve a variety of purposes. These photos match the imagery and themes found in the videos, and can be used for a website refresh, social media posts, print media, email blasts and newsletters, and much more. Some selects are featured below.
The Reach
The strength of this story and overall quality of the filmmaking drew favorable coverage from local media outlets, including this article in the Chico Enterprise-Record newspaper.
The documentary film also aired multiple times on the local CBS affiliate, where it was viewed by tens of thousands of in-market residents. It now lives on PID's website and YouTube channel, and the story will help reinforce PID's value to the community for years to come.
“Working with Ev Durán and U.T.B. Studios to create Water After Wildfire was an exceptional partnership—Ev took the complex and deeply personal story of Paradise Irrigation District’s response and recovery from the Camp Fire and transformed it into a powerful documentary that authentically captures our employees, our community, and the resilience behind our recovery.”
Kevin Phillips
District Manager
Paradise Irrigation District
“I loved working with Ev and the U.T.B. team. They transformed a highly technical story into a captivating documentary that people could understand and connect with. Most importantly, they captured the heart of our message: caring for a community while having the courage to do what is right.”
Mickey Rich
Assistant District Manager
Paradise Irrigation District
It's time to tell your story.
Your business, your organization, it has a story that deserves to be told. If captured and shared correctly, that story is your superpower; it can endear you to your customers and clients in a subtle but powerful way, it can help you shape or reclaim control of a narrative, and quite simply, it can show the world that you are more than "just" a company. You are a team of people with a unified, worthy mission, working towards a shared goal with your community.
Reach out to U.T.B. Studios today and let's talk about how we can help share your story.
